COLLEGE FOOTBALL Herd ready for YSU contest

Marshall needs to protect its nine-game winning streak and No. 20 national ranking.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Just how good is Marshall University football team this year? Pretty good, according to Thundering Herd's head coach Bob Pruett.
"We're playing as [well] a football as any team in the country right now," Pruett said in a telephone interview. "And remember we had six starters ineligible for our season opener against Florida."
The Herd brings a 9-1 record into Saturday's matchup against Youngstown State University in Huntington, W. Va. The game will be played at 7 p.m. and televised by WFMJ-TV Channel 21.
Standout quarterback: The Herd is led by junior quarterback Byron Leftwich, a 6-6, 240 pounder from Washington, D.C.
All Leftwich has done this season is complete 258 of 383 passes for 3,493 yards and 31 touchdowns.
Twice this year, he has passed for more than 400 yards in a game, with a high of 455 yards against Buffalo. Last week against Ohio University, Leftwich threw six touchdown passes in the game.
"He's is the best quarterback in college football in any division," Pruett said.
Is he better than former Marshall great Chad Pennington, now with the NFL Jets?
"Yes, I think he is," Pruett said. "He's going to break all of his records and he's bigger and stronger than Chad."
Pruett is in his sixth season with Marshall and carries a 67-10 record to be the second winningest coach in the school's history.
Youngstown State carries an 8-2 season record and is ranked No. 6 in the I-AA national polls. Marshall has a No. 20 ranking in the Division I-A polls.
The Herd is on a nine game winning streak after losing their season opener at the University of Florida, 49-14.
The win streak: Since that time, Marshall has compiled wins against Massachusetts (49-20), Bowling Green (37-31), Northern Illinois (37-15), Buffalo (34-14), Central Michigan (42-21), Akron (50-33), Kent State (42-21), Miami of Ohio (27-21) and Ohio University (42-18).
The Herd has captured the Eastern Division of the Mid-American Conference and will meet Western Division champion Toledo on Nov. 30 in Toledo.
Marshall also has accepted a bid to play in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Dec. 19 against a team from Conference USA.
Leftwich isn't the only standout on offense as sophomore wide receiver Darius Watts (6-2, 175) is the main receiver.
He's grabbed 79 passes for 1,292 yards, an average of 16.4 per catch, and has caught 17 touchdown passes.
How does Pruett feel about Watts?
"He's as good a receiver as Randy Moss was when he played here," Pruett said.
As a team offensively, The Herd is averaging 514 yards a game. That includes 356.2 yards passing and 157.8 yards rushing. They are averaging 37.4 points a game.
Allows points, yards: The Herd have given up both yards and points this season, but have always been able to outscore the opposition.
Marshall is allowing 411 yards of total offense, 215.9 passing and 195.3 per game rushing and 24.3 points a game.
The defensive leader is senior linebacker Max Yates (6-3, 235), who in 10 games have totaled 133 tackles, including 81 solo hits and 12 tackles for losses. He also had five sacks.
Marshall has also intercepted 11 passes and recovered nine fumbles and holds a plus-5 advantage in the turnover margin.
About Youngstown State, Pruett said he is aware of what the Penguins have riding on the game.
"We know that Youngstown State has a fine football program, but nobody on this team was around when we played before," Pruett said.
"We have a nine-game winning streak and a No. 20 national ranking to protect, so there's no way we are going to take this game lightly," he said.